Category Archives: human rights

REDD+ is a major agenda item at COP 20. In particular, attention will be paid to methodological issues and the implementation of safeguards within the REDD+ program. At the Global Landscape Forum, a COP 20 side event, panels will discuss various aspects pertaining to REDD+. The GLF will offer information both on technological and methodological… Read the full article…

On September 24, the UNFCCC’s Momentum for Change initiative teamed with UNEP Goodwill Ambassador and actor Ian Somerhalder to produce a documentary on climate change. Momentum for Change illuminates activities underway across the globe that are moving the world toward a highly resilient, low-carbon future. Christiana Figueres blogged about the release of the documentary. Her… Read the full article…

Side events can more than occupy one’s time at a COP. Presented by a range of actors — academics, activists, businesses, government agencies — they can range in content and quality. Thus I was fortunate that the few I attended at COP19, given my focus on tracking the ADP negotiations, were fascinating and informative. On the… Read the full article…

I am a vegetarian. I have been for almost 9 years and, honestly, I don’t miss meat (but, to be fair, I was such a picky eater before I made the switch, I pretty much just gave up chicken). I decided to become a vegetarian as a personal choice; a personal stand against the injustices… Read the full article…

Today is Gender Day at the UNFCCC COP19. The purpose of Gender Day is to raise awareness on gender in the climate change context. It is not just a thematic day, it is a legal mandate from the Doha Climate Gateway, Decision 23/CP.18, to examine gender balance in the UNFCCC negotiations. “2. [The Conference of the… Read the full article…

Update: Click the pictures for better view. After watching protesters get pushed around by police online in front of the Bella Center, I jumped on the bike and rode 3 miles on a wet and muddy bike path and took the following shots. The main thoroughfares and highway bridges were blocked by strategically parked police… Read the full article…

I am not one of the three in our group in the plenary today, but I have been watching the live streaming for the past 4 hours. Various heads of states are now giving their 5-10 minutes statements. I just listened to the Prime Minister of Mali, Modibo Sidibe and the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. … Read the full article…

While a portion of our team was able to make it into the Bella Center for the COP yesterday, a few of us headed over to the Kilmaforum for a fantastic presentation by La Via Campesina called “Small Scale Sustainable Farmers are Cooling Down the Earth.” This diverse panel included small-scale farmers and activists… Read the full article…

At “Advancing work on adaptation to climate change: A United Nations system perspective,” top officials from five U.N. agencies spoke to a packed room. They called for collaboration and cooperation between all U.N. agencies to be provided in any text to come out of COP15. Speakers included Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations… Read the full article…

I just witnessed the unveiling of an important new report, sponsored and presented by Al Gore and Gro Harlem Brundtland (yes, that Brundtland), Greenland Ice Sheet – Melting Snow and Ice: Calls for Action. Other global heavyweights that presented were the world-renowned scientist Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, the Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, Norwegian Foreign Minister… Read the full article…

A major human rights concern in climate change is that of environmentally displaced persons (EDPs): people who are forced to leave their homes because of environmental causes ranging from climate change, development projects, industrial accidents, environmental degradation, the environmental aftermath of war, and lack of natural resources. The Red Cross has already declared that more… Read the full article…

On this day in 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To celebrate the anniversary of this historic text and the principles it proclaims, several leaders in the human rights field gave a panel presentation today at COP15. Panelists included Martin Wagner of Earthjustice and Ulrich Holstein of the U.N. Human Rights Council, as… Read the full article…

The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) met today for the 1st Plenary II meeting. (There are two major plenary, the other by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).) The SBSTA’s agenda for the day included issues surrounding the development and transfer of technologies, research and systematic observations, and how to reduce emissions… Read the full article…